First Word

I am available for more project work, and now is a good time. If you have a project you want to start for 2023, please contact me at info@3LPublishing.com and I’ll give you a 10% discount , which can add up to some significant dollars.   Today’s topic: Selling Books Off Your Author Website   A lot of authors have opted out of selling print books on Amazon. They use their author websites to promote and sell books. Privately selling your books has pros and cons. So, let’s explore it.   Amazon Advantage is no longer free. It costs $99 a year to have an Amazon Advantage account. In the big picture, $99 a year doesn’t seem like a lot of money. Now consider that your royalty from Amazon Advantage is 45 percent, plus the cost of postage and handling. A book sold for $19.95 receives $8.98 in royalties. Next consider postage. A typical book sent Media Mail costs about $3.50. Here’s the math:   Retail Price: $19.95 Gross Royalty: $8.98 Postage: $3.50 ...

  Ah, now we have “Ice Man,” which I randomly call him. He’s the sweetest little guy I ever adopted. Icee can’t get enough pets and scratches, and he rewards you with loud purring. I love my little Icee, the kitty I never intended to adopt. Shhh … don’t tell him that one. He would be so offended. “Not adopt moi? How could you suggest such a thing. Mom, it’s me, me, me !”             I love telling Icee’s adoption story. I visited my son Cole and his partner Andrew. Andrew adores kitties, and he has a tuxedo kitty named Lucy. (I cat-sat Lucy.) Andrew wanted to adopt a pure black “void” kitty. We were at Cole’s house in Tuolumne City, and I agreed that Andrew should adopt a void. Plus, I secretly wanted to go look at the kittens. I thought it would be fun. Again, remember going to look at kittens and not adopt one is like being a diabetic in the candy store. You’re tempting your vice.       ...

  Of all the characters in the Addams Family, Wednesday and Thing make the two perfect leads in a television series. Wednesday , which streams on Netflix, is one of the cutest, most entertaining, and refreshing series around. The show is helmed by the brilliant Tim Burton whose movies like Willie Wonka and Edward Scissorhands have become iconic. The character of Wednesday pulled away from the Addams Family and placed into a private school gives the show a wonderful gothic edge that is relevant to current culture. Since goth girls are popular, the show has a built-in audience. Consider, though, how Wednesday offered the ideal character to focus on in this era. Of all of the Addams Family, her supposed unemotional personality and candor make her so interesting to watch on her own. Then Burton tossed in her perfect companion, Thing, to accompany our goth girl all over school.  The show's premise revolves around the teens in the school and includes machinations going on with the...